Looks good Zonoskar,
What did you get the weight down to with the exchanging of a few bits and pieces?

quiggs

I got it down to 11.4 Kg. I didn't just replace some bit and pieces I replaced everything. I have a set of American classic wheels on the way, that will drop another 300g. I might convert to tubeless, so I might be able to get to 11 Kg.

Cool thanks, Zonoskar
I hope that the AM classic wheels are nice and stiff to lose the all round stiffness that is an amazingly stiff frame set could be a step back for the sake of a few hundred grams. I'm biased though it is a freakin sweet looking and performing bike. As l have one also!

On a side note a new member to our shop team rode an element 970 yesterday in a race for the first time ride, the smile on her face when she finished was amazing and rewarding and can't wait to get her own! Hard to compare her previous bike to the element (merida 96)

That keeps mud from flying in forward direction off of the front tire, between the fork legs and back into my face when I overtake it again. The massive downtube already blocks most of the mud flying directly into my face and this helps with the rest.

Ah, a fender. I've never seen one so square as usually those in this position are attached to the crown and are flexible. It kinda looked like a phone or other ghetto video recording device or even a solar panel.

I used to race back in the 90's and early 2000's and eventually found my self has a pretty competent Expert class racer. Eventually college life caught up to me and I considered myself retired from MTBing. Fast forward to 2011 and I am 29 years old, 235 pounds (6'3") and terribly out of shape. Walking around a golf course was becoming a brutal workout. On August 1st, 2011 I had a talk with myself and decided I needed a life change. I made a goal to someday race again but I needed to get into shape. I built an incentive plan for myself and everytime I lost 5 pounds I would buy myself a component or some type of bike part (Pedals would be last). As of today I am 185 pounds, I can run 6 minute miles, bike 100 miles and my build is officially complete! It' been a long journey and I still have a ways to go but I now have a mountain bike to ride.

My Rocky Mountain has been a positive force for me too to get in good shape. Instead of buying beer, I spend money on the bike and ride more. Though it's not all good--sometimes instead of working I go biking...